Genre: Comedy

Star Rating: 

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a breath of fresh air in the Christian film genre. It is the perfect mix of Christian values, developed characters, and a plot line that sucks you in. Brett Dalton plays Gavin Stone, a former child actor who burned his bridges in Hollywood by becoming the quintessential “bad boy”. Things take a turn for the worse when he is arrested and sentenced to community service at a local church. Even though he is an unbeliever, he manages to use his acting skills to land the role of Jesus in the church play. He will soon find it to be one of the toughest and most rewarding roles of his life. Rounding out the cast is Anjelah Johnson Reyes (Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Book of Life), Neil Flynn (The Middle, Scrubs), D.B. Sweeney (Brother Bear, Taken 2), and Shawn Michaels of WWE fame.

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of this film. For some reason, I have found it hard to find a Christian comedy that I feel gets the mix of Christian lessons and humor just right. It needs to be meaningful, but not cheesy. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. The humor is truly relatable and on more than one occasion I found myself laughing while thinking, “Been there, done that!” Of course, I am both an actress and a PK (Pastor’s Kid) who has directed more than one church production, so I could really relate to both the main characters. It also helps that all the actors were really great in their individual roles. Though this shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that so many of them have impressive resumes.

What Age Group Is It For?

This is the perfect movie to sit down and watch with your whole family. I would, however recommend it mostly for those of us over the age of 10. My reasoning for this is that it is fairly dialogue heavy in parts and it also touches on the topic of trying to stay sober. There isn’t anything in it that would be truly offensive to a younger age group, but it isn’t geared toward them.

Looking To Show It at Church?

If you are looking for a movie to show at church or discuss in a Bible Study group, this is a good one. The main topics it covers are grace and humility. It also touches on the importance of staying true to your word. The messages were presented well and the final scene had me literally crying (I admit reluctantly).